I Should've Been After You
by Notice327
Summary: Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies’ man of Hogwarts in the 70’s. What everyone doesn’t know, is that he didn’t get the ladies on his own. Helping Sirius find “The One” was an old friend. Rooney's "I Should've Been After You" title
1. Chapter 1

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note:** Here goes round two. I've only written one one-shot so far. I'm going to attempt to make this a real story with a long-lasting plot and such. Any criticism would be appreciated, as long as it isn't purely malicious. I'm a writer, not a robot, and even if I was some robots have feelings. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter One

It's Feeling Like Old Times

All was quiet. Well, almost all. There was the sound of a steadily tapping shoe coming from beneath the table in the corner, and a quill was scratching on a piece of parchment on that table. There was also a quiet, tuneless hum coming from a young woman sitting at the table, writing on the parchment, tapping her foot. These were the only sounds in the entire Gryffindor Common Room.

That is until the portrait swung open, admitting a stomping, irritated-looking, but all the more handsome young man into the room. He stopped just behind the girl sitting at the table and stared down at the top of her glossy black haired head. He cleared his throat impatiently and began tapping his foot loudly, disrupting the beat of her own toes.

The raven haired, dark skinned girl ignored this rude interruption and continued writing. She paused for a moment, tickling her chin with her feather quill before continuing her writing. Another sentence was written and finished with an exclamation point before the quill was laid aside and the serene young woman turned to face her still upset companion.

"What is it, Sirius?" she asked in a calm, inquisitive voice.

Sirius Black's face lit with anger as his frustration exploded within, "You know damn well 'what?' Lia! This one didn't work out either! Why do you keep sending me the same thing, when you know that it is not what I'm looking for?"

Lia's deep blue-grey eyes rose to meet Sirius' stormy grey orbs. A smile pulled at her full lips as she shrugged her bare shoulders and turned back towards the table. As she began to gather her things, Sirius threw his hands into the air and fell backwards, over the arm of the couch. Lia allowed him to lie there for a moment while she set her school bag in order, and then she rose and joined him on the couch. She sat at the far end next to his head, which he lifted. She scooted down and allowed Sirius to rest his head upon her lap while she ran her long and obviously experienced fingers through his dark, shaggy hair.

"Sirius, you know what my thoughts on this subject are. I've told you time and again, that what you are looking for cannot be found through someone else," she paused here as he gave her a familiar glare. "You also know that I'm not trying to get out of our agreement. I know that if anyone is doing this it should be me. But when are you going to start listening to me? Your descriptions before and after always contradict each other. You want something beautiful but deep and meaningful, but fun and exciting or short term but really long term. I cannot find the enigma you are looking for. You have to deal with it."

Lia was glad to see a small grin break onto her old friend's despondent face. She leaned down and kissed his forehead before shoving him off of her lap and consequentially the couch. Sirius screamed at his dislodging, but quickly sprang up from the floor and set to tickling the overly-sensitive Lia for her rude, but heartening actions.

--

"Hey, mate. How'd the date with Carrie Grewel go?" Sirius' bespectacled best friend James Potter inquired cheerfully.

"Terribly, Prongs. The girl would _not_ shut up about everything she'd done to get ready for dinner. I had to let her go," Sirius said with only the slightest hint of remorse.

James frowned at his friend across the breakfast table. He and Remus Lupin, the third member of the Marauders, shared a look and both sighed heavily. Hearing this mournful and slightly aggravated sigh, Sirius tore himself from his mountain of scrambled eggs to look at his friends.

"What? What is it? Hmm? Have you two got something to say? What about you Pete?" Sirius snapped at the fourth boy sitting in their area of the Gryffindor table, Peter Pettigrew. Peter shuddered slightly at his friend's sharp tone and shook his head dejectedly.

Sirius returned his glare to James and Remus, sitting across from him, "So? What do you want to tell me? Hmm?"

"Come on, Padfoot. Don't get so angry with us. We're just worried that's all. You've gotten into the habit of dumping your girls after three or four dates. And it's usually because of a seriously lame reason," the ever pensive Remus gave in to his friend's heated interrogation.

Ignoring Sirius' scoffing laugh, James continued Remus' answer, "Plus, Lia talked to me last night-" Sirius' gaze shot to James at this, "-and she asked me and Remus to say something because she knew that you had once again ignored her advice."

Sirius leaned over the table to shoot a glare at Lia, who was sitting with her dorm mate and best friend Lily Evans. Lia had been waiting for this, having seen James and Remus begin the talk with Sirius. She smiled brightly at him and then began talking animatedly with Lily and Hestia Jones.

Sirius growled quietly and sat back down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing his temples slowly.

"Ok, so maybe I need to rethink the whole dating situation. But come on, don't I get to be at least a little picky? I mean, I'm a Marauder for crying out loud! We're the most wanted guys in the bloody castle and I'm the only one who's seriously dating because James is in love with Evans and Remus, you have your furry little problem, and Peter is so freaking shy! I've dated over forty girls in the past three years and I still haven't found one that could keep my interest longer than a couple of dates."

James, Remus and Peter looked at Sirius hopelessly. They had no answers for him, other than those that Lia had already told him countless times. Sirius sighed, told his friends he'd see them in class and made his way down the table to Lia.

She had of course been expecting him to come down at some point. She watched as a simple smile from Sirius Black sent a group of five girls scooting down the table, twittering as they went. He took the space they had left him next to her and straddled the bench. Hestia kindly greeted Sirius and he returned her hello with a grin. Lily, on the other hand, simply glared at Sirius, gave him a curt nod and mumbled something resembling "Good morning Black" before focusing all of her attention of her cup of orange juice.

Sirius leaned forward, resting his forehead on Lia's shoulder. Lia patted his shaggy head and ignored the familiar glares from around the Great Hall. After 13 years of friendship with the ruggedly handsome boy, she had gotten more than used to being whispered about.

Sirius lifted his head and smiled at his long-time friend, "Want to skive double potions this afternoon?"

Lia studied the mischievous glint in Sirius' stormy eyes and consented without much hesitation.

--

Late September in Scotland brought a lot of changes for the students of Hogwarts. The grounds became a vibrant mix of yellows, oranges, reds, and the rare green, and the wind blew a bit colder every day. It also brought the first fit of homesickness and boredom with classes. This was why Sirius and Lia had opted out of the most boring lesson of all: double potions. Both received fair to excellent marks on their work in that class and so never felt guilty about leaving their friends behind in the dark and dank dungeons.

Being seventh years there was not much for the pair to explore on the grounds, so they settled in their favorite private garden to participate in their favorite pass-time: cloud watching.

"Look! A dragon!"

"Oooo, nice. What about that hippogriff?"

"No, that's a sphinx."

"Oh, right, and I guess that fish is really a unicorn?"

"No! That's ridiculous. That fish looks nothing like a unicorn."

"Oh really?"

"No. It's obviously a kangaroo. Geez, Sirius, use a little imagination."

"Ok, how about that big group over there. Doesn't that look sort of like a big dog, a stag, a rat and a werewolf?"

"No, looks more like a fiery red head cursing a certain glasses-wearing Gryffindor Chaser off of his broom just as he makes the winning goal for the Quidditch Cup."

Sirius sat up and looked down at Lia, who was smiling brightly, fighting her hysterical laughter.

"She wouldn't do that would she?" Sirius asked, suddenly worried.

"Of course not," Lia sat up, her shoulder shaking slightly from her repressed giggles. "She hates Potter, not all of Gryffindor."

"Oh, ok. That's good to know," Sirius replied, completely satisfied by Lia's answer. He laid back and patted the grass, inviting her to do the same. Lia complied willingly and smiled up at the blue autumn sky.

Sirius' deep voice broke the harmonious silence after a few moments, "Lia, we need to talk about our agreement."

Lia sighed deeply and stood up, brushing off her back as she moved to a stone bench under a colorful oak tree. "What about it Sirius? Are you no longer happy with my services?"

"No, I'm sure you're doing the best you can under the circumstances. Actually I was just thinking that maybe we should give it a rest for a while," Sirius explained as he joined her on the bench.

"What? You want to stop? But I thought you were convinced that you had to find 'her' before graduation. That's one year away Sirius," Lia said very quickly.

"Yes, I know Lia. That's why I think we should take a break. I need to clear my head. It probably won't take that long. After all, it's not very full," he smiled and nudged Lia, hoping for a grin. Instead of a grin, he got a slightly-worried-could-grow-to-concerned look.

"Listen, I know it doesn't make sense, but I need you to trust that in this case, I know what's best for me. I know I asked you to decide that as far as which girls I date, but I think I should be allowed to choose when along with how."

Lia nodded slowly and finally shrugged her shoulders, "If you think that's best, I'll put the list on hold for a while. Just promise you'll let me know as soon as you feel ready to start again, ok? After all, I wouldn't want you to try to find the girl of your dreams on your own," she smirked and shoved Sirius a bit.

Sirius smiled his trademark, stood and offered his hand to Lia. She took it and together they walked back up to the castle.

--

They dropped each others' hand at the same moment, just as they entered the Entrance Hall. There was no reason to encourage nasty rumors with friendly hand-holding in public. They walked together into the Great Hall, then to the Gryffindor table, before breaking apart; Lia sitting down with Lily and Hestia, and Sirius heading down to the Marauders' seats.

That evening in the common room, when they were supposed to be working on homework, both Lia and Sirius were contemplating the free time they would have in the future; Lia from match-making for Sirius, and Sirius from being matched. The arrangement had been going non-stop for three years now. Neither knew exactly what they would do without the preoccupation of Sirius' love life hanging over their heads.

--

**A/N:** Ok, there it is. I'm not sure how congealed it is. It sort of just spilled out. I'd love some feedback. Thanks so much for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note:** Here is chapter 2. I'm really excited about how this story is going. Thank you for the reviews. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Two

Singin' Along to the Words You Don't Know

Nearly a month had passed since Sirius and Lia had talked in their garden, and neither had spoken about the agreement since. Now Halloween was approaching, a time of mystery, excitement, and almost always some kooky romance for Sirius.

Without his constant line-up of dates courtesy of Lia, however, the Sovereign Shagger was at a loss as to how he should conduct himself at this merriest of times. Sirius was restless, short-tempered, and all together unhappy because of his lack of social visitors in the past month.

Lia had observed him carefully, always worried that he would break down and drag the nearest female into an alcove between classes. Luckily, her friend possessed much more self-control than she gave him credit for. After the first two weeks of endless watching, she let him roam free and focused on a much more important personal matter: the Halloween Bash.

Ever since fifth year when Lily had become a prefect she had been planning their seventh year Halloween dance. Now as Head Girl, Lily got her chance to be the party planner and even having to work with Potter was not dampening her spirits. Lia had lent a helping hand whenever necessary, but had been mostly preoccupied with her costume. Lily's plans for the Halloween Bash included a completely anonymous requirement of all costume wearers. Her hope was that this would encourage interhouse relations. Lia didn't think it would work quite as Lily hoped, but it would still be fun.

Now Lia's only concern was to decide what costume to wear. She had many ideas, but none of them had sparked that overwhelming excitement in the pit of her stomach. Lily and Hestia had suggested they all go as animals, but Lia had vetoed that idea immediately. She wanted something sophisticated not generic, and so she continued to wrack her brain for costume ideas.

That was how she came to be pacing in the library. She had thought that reading some light fiction would give her the idea she had been waiting for, but had had no such luck. Lia had resorted to pacing back and forth along an aisle in the Playwright section of the vast library.

After many turns along the aisle Lia finally flopped down, leaning against the shelf, and decided she was very close to admitting defeat. It was lucky she had stopped pacing at the moment for if she had not her frustrated footsteps most likely would have drowned out the soft male voice that roamed through the shelves from the adjoining aisle.

"_But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?_

_It is the east, and Juliet is the sun._"

The voice's confidence in its words struck Lia's ear most beautifully, yet she did not take the time to discover its owner. For at the end of the short recital, Lia had been hit with the spark of imagination she had been waiting for. From that point on, she knew what identity she would undertake at the Halloween Bash.

--

"Yes, I agree Lily. It would be silly and generic, if we had our mates. But we don't! So lay off and enjoy yourself. You've always said that you dreamed of being an actress when you were younger. Here's your chance. Go be Titania and find your Oberon. If you let go and have fun tonight you just might find him," Lia finished her defensive rant as she and her two friends stepped down from the marble stairs and into the Entrance Hall.

It held only a few couples who had already snuck out from the party; everyone else was inside dancing or trying to discover someone's true identity. Lia had shared her epiphany in the library with her friends and had convinced them to go in the same manner as she. Each depicted a unique female character of William Shakespeare, the famous Muggle playwright. Lily had chosen Titania, Queen of the Fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, while Hestia had decided to cover her sweet nature with the character of Katherina, the shrew from Taming of the Shrew. Lia had of course taken her enlightenment quite seriously and said she could play no other but Juliet.

All three young women were dressed appropriately, Lily with small iridescent wings charmed to her shoulder blades and a flowing dress of purple silk and lace, Hestia had stylishly mussed her hair and was wearing a blazing Elizabethan red dress with the bodice undone so her corset showed through, and Lia had spent hours braiding her long, raven black hair into several plaits and then piled them on her head. Her dress was also silk, but blue and silver and the same style as Hestia's.

It was in these wildly detailed costumes and meticulously decorated masks, that the three friends made their grand entrance into the Great Hall. No one in particular stopped to stare at the masked beauties, but Hestia did let out a gasp as she took in the hall. Along with Lia, she heaped compliments upon Lily about the lighting, decorations, and music.

Having already decided back in the dorm to fly solo tonight, the girls wished each other luck and went their separate ways, each looking for some handsome chap to be their escort for the night.

Lia was the only one of the three to dive straight into the dancing mob grooving in the middle of the Hall. Her strategy consisted of getting into the middle of the action, only there would she find the sort of guy she was looking for. She moved to the music with everyone else, sometimes venturing a mental guess at who someone might be behind his or her mask.

The song was nearing its end when Lia felt a hand rest upon her shoulder. She turned and found herself face to face with a tall young man dressed in tights, pantaloons, and a stylish overcoat circa 15th century. Lia's plump lips turned up in a smile as she nodded, giving him permission to stand and possibly dance with her.

To test his righteousness, Lia leaned towards her possible dance partner and whispered in his ear, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" came Romeo's coy reply, and behind his mask his grey eyes glittered.

Lia laughed softly and curtseyed, feeling quite foolish. Her anxiety was relieved when her partner stooped to a low bow in return. A hearty laugh left her throat at this, and she led him further into the crowd.

As they wove through the mob, the song ended and became one of the dreaded slow songs. A few groans rose from the crowd as loners were forced to leave by protocol. When Romeo offered his hand, Lia took it eagerly and was pulled towards him with as much enthusiasm.

While other couples swayed, barely moving a few inches through the song, Romeo and Juliet roamed through the crowd in a nearly perfect waltz. Nearly, only because Juliet was often drawn to lay her head upon Romeo's shoulder, and would consequentially fall out of step. When this happened Romeo simply laughed, but after the fifth incident he looked down at his Juliet's fathomless blue eyes, smiled, and conformed to the other dancers.

Lia felt wild and free, never before had she become so close with a guy in so little time. She was rather conserved, like her friends, and had only had three or four relationships so far. She allowed her head to rest on his shoulder and her smile grew brighter as the quick beating of his heart reached her ear.

Lia was torn from her own happiness as her gaze fell upon the transparent wings she had conjured from napkins just an hour or so before. Her head lifted from Romeo's chest as she focused on Lily. Shock shook her entire body like an earthquake as Lia realized exactly what her friend was doing.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed quietly.

"What? What's happened? Are you ok?" Romeo asked quickly, stopping their dance to look down at her with concern.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just…very surprised," Lia managed to reply. "Um…do you see that fairy over there? The one with the wings and purple dress?" with Romeo's affirmative nod Lia continued, "Well, that's my best friend and I told her to let go and have fun tonight. Apparently she took that as snog with the first guy you meet up with."

Romeo laughed joyously and seeing Lia's confused frown only made him laugh harder. After a moment he explained, "Why should Titania cross her Oberon?"

Lia gasped and realized that Romeo was apparently part of a group just like hers: Shakespeare's characters, and somehow was matched with her group as well. She choked in disbelief and as Romeo patted her back softly she blurted out, "Do you mean that guy is actually dressed up as Oberon the fairy?"

"But of course. I didn't think he'd get any action, being a fairy, but he must have tossed his wings," Romeo replied, still laughing.

"Who is he?" Lia inquired as the humor of the situation began to sink in.

"Oh, I don't think I should tell you. It might let you in on who I am," Romeo cleverly returned.

"Good point. I'll make you a deal. If I discover your true identity, you will tell me his," Lia offered as she held out her hand

"And vice versa," Romeo accepted and they shook hands.

--

The rest of the evening consisted of dancing, interrogation, and evasive answers by both parts of the Shakespearean couple. They laughed practically the entire night, mostly at each other, but when they spotted the fairy couple it always resulted in a disturbingly loud outburst of giggles and guffaws from the pair.

So elated was Lia that she hardly noticed when Romeo led her out of the castle into a garden outside of the Great Hall. When the chilly breeze managed to bite through her gown, Lia shivered, but instead of moving back towards the warmth of indoors, she moved closer to Romeo. His arms wrapped themselves around her, protecting against the chill. Her head once again rested on his chest and as she took a deep breath in the clean fresh air, his scent triggered a memory, but she couldn't figure out which.

Romeo gently placed his hand under Lia's chin and lifted it, tilting her face towards his. She smiled and looked into his eyes, they seemed familiar too. So did the smile that spread over his lips as his face moved closer to hers. Lia had little time to ponder these familiarities, however, due to the soft touch of Romeo's lips brushing against her suddenly tingling mouth.

--

Hours later, Lia trudged up to Gryffindor Tower, her heart fluttering, lips tingling and beginning to chap, hands shaking, and mind whirling. She was exhausted beyond belief from dancing half the night and then snogging the rest, both being her absolute joy and completely draining her of any energy whatsoever.

The Fat Lady spied her as she came around the corner, half asleep on her feet, with a special glow about her face, and swung open without a given password. Lia smiled appreciatively at the portrait and pulled it closed behind her.

Finally reaching her dorm room, Lia undressed despite her desire to simply fall into bed and glanced around for Hestia and Lily. Both were absent from their beds. Lia pulled a large t shirt over her head and some old sleeping shorts up around her waist and fell into bed.

Her eyes had just closed when a loud cracking noise made her jump from her bed and grab her wand. No one had apparated into the room, obviously, but there was a disturbance somewhere. The noise repeated itself and Lia went to the window near her bed, throwing it open and allowing the cool night air to flood into the room.

Floating a foot from the window was none other than Sirius Black. Lia forced a smile through her sleepy agitation, realizing she had not seen her friend the entire night, nor any of the other Marauders. She pushed this thought aside and set to interrogating Sirius.

"What are you doing? Its almost 4 am!" She whisper-yelled.

"I had to tell you what happened tonight!" Sirius replied excitedly.

After a few minutes of silence, Lia became impatient, "Well? What happened Sirius?"

"I met her," was Sirius' giddy reply

"Her who?" Lia inquired. There was no telling what sort of girl Sirius had hooked up with on a night like this.

"The one!" he answered, as though it should be obvious.

"What? No! Who is she?" Lia asked, her impatience ebbing away, being replaced by excitement.

"Well…I don't quite know," Sirius admitted with little shame in his voice.

"You don't know! How can you not know?" Lia fired back angrily.

"It was a Halloween dance Lia! I only know her as her character," a sweet, childish grin spread across Sirius face, obviously some sweet memory had come to mind.

"And her character was?" Lia was too tired and much too aggravated to play his games.

"Why! The fair Juliet, of course!" Sirius laughed, flew closer to the window, kissed his long-time friend on the cheek and zoomed away to the boys' dorms.

**A/N:** Ha! My first shocking ending. I'm so happy! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's a little tedious with the costumes and such, but I wanted to be at least a little girly. Until next time my friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note: **Wow! I'm so sorry that there was such a large gap between updates. I started school. Wow, so much homework I almost shot myself in the foot. Then I got sick, I'm still sick, but I'm writing because it's the only time I've had to write. Hope you like this chapter. I do.

Chapter Three

But None of Them Worked Out for Me

With a shiver and a rattling gasp, Lia lifted her heavy eye-lids and sat up. Her back was especially stiff, but every muscle in her body ached. It took her a moment to realize why. She was lying on the floor and presumably had been all night. Her uncovered limbs were covered in goose bumps and for a moment she thought she had icicles on her toes. Lia frantically glanced around the room and realized that she was all alone. None of her dorm mates, including her two best friends, had returned to the room.

Lia stood, jumped into her bed, and pulled the warm covers over her freezing body. Despite the heavy comforter, Lia was still cold and could feel a strong draught. Her blue eyes glanced around the room once more and quickly found the source. The window between her and Lily's beds was wide open, allowing the chilly morning and undoubtedly the previous night's freezing breezes into the usually warm room.

Lia despairingly crawled from her bed and tip toed to the window. She reached out to pull the window closed and suddenly the memories of last night flooded into her brain. They came in a reverse motion so that she was sublimely happy for a moment before she realized why she had woken up lying cold on the hard floor.

"Oh, my God! Sirius is in love with me," she muttered to herself, "I must've fainted after he left. Oh no! I have to do something! What am I going to do?"

Lia's level of panic had risen exponentially since her epiphany and she was now shaking almost violently. She closed and latched the window, and then, because she had nothing else to do, Lia got dressed. She looked herself over once she had gotten her clothes on and was relieved to find that she had pulled on something acceptable: her favorite blue jeans and a red v-neck sweater over a purple t-shirt.

---

Lia ran from the dorm and leapt down the stairs to the Common Room three at a time. She nearly collided with an extremely tired and dazed fairy queen at the bottom of the stairs.

"Lily!" she exclaimed, "Where have you been all night? I was the only one in the dorm this morning. Wait…why are you smiling like that?" Lia asked as a small but luminous grin spread across her best friend's face.

"I-I don't know what to say. I was so…so wrong. I-I can't believe it. I don't understand how…" Lily pulled Lia into her arms and sighed, "Life is so strange isn't it?" With that bewildering remark, Lily disappeared up the stairs, no doubt to get some sleep.

Lia had stared, confused, as Lily had spouted her strange thoughts. Now, after looking up the empty stairs for a few moments, she turned and walked across the room, exiting through the portrait hole.

Her conversation with Lily had distracted Lia from her problems, at least momentarily. She walked down to Entrance Hall and looked around at its empty vastness. It was mid-morning, so the Great Hall had stopped serving breakfast, but the kitchen would be working to prepare lunch. Lia turned and went down to the basements, where she immediately found the painting of fruit, tickled the pear, and opened the door to the kitchens.

To Lia's surprise, the house elves did not rush to her the moment she stepped inside. It took a few minutes for their usually prompt selves to show up to cater to her needs. She realized of course, that this was because the only person they loved more than her was already in the kitchens. She was trying to politely refuse the many generous offers coming from the eager elves when his dreaded, yet comforting voice boomed across the room. Sirius waved his arms madly over his head, as if she couldn't see him. Lia waved keeping her arms close to her sides and joined Sirius at his table.

The table was covered in breakfast dishes, including everything from bacon to French crepes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream on top. Lia sat across from Sirius, a shy and nervous smile on her face. She wondered if he remembered anything that had happened last night or if he had had the same revelation as her. From the way he was scarfing down his pancakes, she was leaning towards the former. Lia was staring in amazement at her friend and unaware crusher's wide-open mouth full of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and what could have been blueberries.

Sirius noticed Lia's disgusted gaze and closed his mouth. He chewed for a considerable amount of time before smiling, gulping down a swig of pumpkin juice, and clearing his throat.

"So, do you remember my little visit last night?" he inquired with obvious excitement.

Lia fought back the urge to curse, covering it with an awkward cough. She finally managed to choke out an affirmative answer. "Actually, Sirius, love-er-I mean, buddy, I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm not sure that-" but Lia was cut off by Sirius' large, slightly syrup covered hand waving in her face.

"Lia, I know what you're going to say. You don't need to worry. I've got this under control," he winked, confidence oozing from every pore.

Lia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, Sirius really listen to me. I don't think you really understand what happened last night. Maybe you should take some more time to think about it. I mean, you don't even know this girl. How can you be SO sure that she is the one?" Lia blurted out quickly, so that Sirius couldn't interrupt again. Sirius listened with a smug, yet pitying smile on his face.

Sirius' tone resembled a parent talking to a disappointed child when he spoke, "Lia, Lia, Lia – I know that this must be quite a hard pill to swallow. I mean, after all, you did all that work these past few years for nothing because I found the girl of my dreams on my own. I want you to know, though, that without all those girls you kept sending at me that, honestly, never worked out, I never would have been ready for her last night. So I want to thank you, Lia."

Lia's boiling point was usually high, but under the circumstances it lowered significantly. When Sirius finished his "comforting" little speech she was ready to explode, leap across the table, and shove as many breakfast items as possible down his throat. Lucky for Sirius, he finished his five-course meal just before this outburst would have occurred. He stood, gave his childhood friend a light punch on the shoulder and left the kitchens, hollering "See ya later, Lia!" just before he exited.

A low rumbling growl started in the pit of Lia's chest and rose from her elegant throat as she opened her mouth and let out an ear-shattering scream of rage. The elves paused in their work, but then, being accustomed to such outbursts from Mistress Lia, continued their activities. Lia grabbed the nearest object, a paper napkin, and tore it to shreds. She was breathing heavily when she waved goodbye to the ever-cheerful elves and slammed the door behind her before stomping all the way back to Gryffindor Tower.

--

"I cannot believe he said that to you!" Lily exclaimed probably the fifth time in the last minute.

"I know!" Lia replied, as she had each previous time.

"I can't believe you told us," Hestia finally had something to include. She had been silent through Lia's entire recount of the previous night and this morning's events. Lia and Lily turned to stare at her, confused.

"Well, come on Lia, you're not entirely open with us all the time are you? I mean, this is the first time we've heard about this whole 'arrangement' you've had with Sirius for how many years now? Wait! Is that why you set us up?" Hestia's calm facial expression had vanished with her last question. Lia simply turned away to avoid answering. Hestia huffed, crossed her arms, and then sighed. As a naturally forgiving person, Hestia never stayed angry long. Lia chanced a smile at her friend and received an even brighter one in return.

"So, what do I do? That is why I confessed this whole mess to you guys. You're two of the smartest witches I know. I need you to tell me how to fix this mess," Lia's voice and expression were equally desperate, and to her dismay, both of her friends were at a loss.

"Honestly, Lia, the only time I've ever heard of a situation like this is in a play. This just doesn't happen in real life. Best friends and enemies don't fall in love. I mean, there's no way I'd ever end up with someone like…Potter!" Lily seemed rather insistent on the subject of Potter this morning, more so than usual. She continued to bring up the improbability of their relationship despite any need to convince her friends. Perhaps it was not Lia and Hestia that Lily was trying to convince.

"Oh, my God! It was James!" Lia suddenly shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Lily.

The redhead's cheeks changed to match her hair-color as she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's the fairy king from last night, isn't he? You fancy Potter! I cannot believe it!" Lia shook Hestia as she shouted, "Lily likes James! They were snogging last night!" Realization dawned on Hestia's face; then she turned sharply to stare at Lily with her mouth wide open.

"Merlin, you two are going to start catching flies," Lily forcefully shut her two friends' mouths. "Yes, ok, we kissed some last night, but that does not mean that I was wrong all these years. He's still an arrogant git. He's just…an arrogant git that can kiss really well." Lily flopped back onto the bed and Hestia and Lia patted her knees.

Hestia's sympathetic smile changed to her "I have an idea" smile soon after this melt down. "Look at the bright Lily. At least James knows it was you and is already in love with you. Lia has to tell Sirius it was her and either convince him to still love her or not, but before she does that she has to decide whether she loves him. She's got it way worse than you do, love."

Hestia cowered under Lia's venomous glare.

--

The three girls' were constantly surrounded by giggling girls on their journey down to the Great Hall for lunch that afternoon. They took into consideration that it was the day after a ball and forgave the girls for their silliness, abstaining from jinxing the giggles out of the twittering chits. Hestia supported her two friends well, giving both of them encouraging pats-on-the-back, smiles, and kind words every so often. It seemed she was the only member of the trio who had survived the night unscarred.

The girls failed to notice that not only girls were twittering and giggling, but many young men were laughing together. This of course, is common male behavior, but they seemed to be laughing at the same thing the girls were twittering about. That is what should have alerted Lia, Lily and Hestia to what was about to happen.

The three friends walked into the Great Hall where everyone was eating lunch as per usual. Except that it wasn't really usual because a large number of girls ranging from fourth to seventh years were crowding around one end of the Gryffindor Table. Lia frowned slightly, not understanding what was happening. She felt a gentle tug on her sleeve, and when she looked at Hestia, her friend simply pointed up towards the ceiling.

Hanging above the crowded end of the table was a large crimson banner flashing this message is gold lettering:

"JULIET! YOUR ROMEO IS LOOKING FOR YOU! PLEASE COME TO THIS END OF THE TABLE TO MEET ME.

IMPATIENTLY WAITING OUR REUNION,

SIRIUS BLACK"

Lia released another one of her wrath-screeches then yelled Sirius name with equal volume, but not quite as high-pitched. Sirius stood and waved at his friend. She ran to him, violently pushing her way through the mob of fluttering girls, shooting glares at each one.

"Hello there Lia," was Sirius' calm salutation when she finally arrived at his side.

"Black! What the Hell are you doing?" Lia's eyes flashed with fury, but Sirius didn't notice.

"Did you 'Sirius'ly just call me Black? Get it, because I'm 'Sirius'?" He winked at Lia and chuckled at his joke.

Lia shot a frenzied glance across the hall at Lily and Hestia. They were moth motioning for her to hit him. She shrugged, and pulled back her arm to smack him across the back of the head, but before she could follow through a vice-like grip seized her wrist, and Lia found that she could not move at all.

**A/N:** So tired, so sick, so very sorry if it doesn't meet standards. I hope you enjoy. Please review as honestly as you feel necessary. I promise not to lash out at you in Lia-style. Pinky-promise. Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note:** So, I'm trying to give you guys a couple of chapters to tide you over because I don't know how often I'll be able to update for a while. I've missed a couple days of school and will have to do make up work…argh! Ok, here goes.

Chapter Four

I'm Startin' to Realize Lately

Sirius glanced back over his shoulder at Lia and frowned. "Were you about to hit me? What the Hell Lia?" He stood, nearly pushing over the bench he was sitting on. The girls around him giggled and gasped at his "strength". Lia remained immobile.

"Lia!" Sirius shouted. He was becoming quite aggravated with her. He had made one corny joke and she was going to slap him? What was wrong with her today? She had been weird in the kitchens that morning, too. He poked Lia's shoulder, but her only reaction was to sway slightly.

"Lia? Lia! What the-"

Before Sirius could finish his question, Lia fell into his arms, not with her usual grace, but more like a statue that had been pushed over. Sirius's brain finally caught up and he immediately reversed the petrifying spell. Once again able to move, Lia squirmed in Sirius' arms until she was able to stand on her own. She growled and shook her fist in his face, but then the hand dropped to her side. Sirius continued staring at Lia with an utterly befuddled expression. She sighed heavily, covered her face and pushed her way out of the mob of girls surrounding them.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, and then began to push his way through the girls. Most of them just stared longingly at him, but a few got in his way or pulled on his clothes. One managed to bar his way completely.

His raised his wand, "Did you petrify her?" He recognized the girl as a fifth year Ravenclaw who Lia had insisted he never date, despite her physical attributes. A smug grin spread across the girl's lovely face.

"If that's a yes, I'd get out of my way before I jinx you into oblivion," Sirius threatened, his voice barely a whisper. The girl's grin disappeared and was exchanged for a grimace, but she moved out of the way.

Sirius finally escaped the throng without any other encounters, but by the time he reached the Entrance Hall Lia had vanished. He spotted a flash of red turning a corner on the stairs and bolted towards it. Sirius' heart sank when he met up with the fiery-haired Lily. She was only with Hestia and Lia was no where in sight.

"Where is she?" he gasped.

"She doesn't want to talk to you right now Black. Just leave her alone for a while, possibly longer," Lily replied coolly. She took Hestia's arm and they continued their walk up the stairs.

"I know her even better than you do Lily. I'll find her!" he shouted uselessly at the girls' backs.

"I will find her and I'll sort this whole thing out," he muttered to himself. He needed to think for a moment. He sat down on a bench in a nearby alcove and rested his head in his hands. He sat like that for ages but failed to recall a single place that Lia may have been hiding.

"Maybe I don't know her," he sighed, admitting defeat. His only option now, was to clear his own head and wait for Lia to come to him. Sirius stood and started walking, not knowing where his feet planned to take him, but trusting that they would eventually bring him to Lia.

--

Lia inhaled the deep, rich scent of lilacs and sighed; her anger and distress easing away with every breath. She ran her fingers over the thick grass, enjoying the tickling sensation of each blade. She had taken down her long black hair, allowing it to spread around her head like a giant Chinese fan. Her blue eyes reflected the slightly deeper azure sky and the stormy grey clouds floating by. Despite the storm clouds, the sun still shone brightly on the grounds, warming Lia's skin against the cool November air.

There were dried streaks of salt water running from her eyes down past her ears and into the grass around her. She had let her sobs shake her body for torturously long minutes until the breeze and sun had dried them and the knot in her chest had loosened.

Lia stared at the lazily moving storm clouds, trying but failing to find the hidden pictures in their gray folds. She had thought that thinking about the clouds would distract her mind from the endless loop of thoughts that was plaguing her, but instead her favorite pass-time only encouraged the disturbingly Sirius-oriented train of thought.

A long shadow fell over Lia, yet no cloud blocked the brilliant sunlight. Her gaze shifted, searching for the shadow's owner, and landed on a surprisingly welcome sight.

"Hello," he said. His voice seemed to rise from the depths of his abdomen through something, possibly fear or timidity, that wished to block it.

"Hello," she returned, her own voice husky from the rough tears that had stopped racking her body only minutes before.

Her dark hands quickly wiped at her eyes in an effort to remove the last evidence of her tears. Sirius' fantastic smile seemed dimmer than usual but more sincere for the lack of luster.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you in the Great Hall. If I had thought it would get out of hand I never would have done it," he apologized and, not receiving a glare, took his usual place lying next to Lia. The effect of her usually bound-up hair lying gracefully around her face like a frame was not lost on him.

Lia smiled brightly at Sirius to signify her acceptance of his sincere but misguided apology. She sent a thank you to the heavens for his ignorance about the real reason behind her fury in the Great Hall.

"So, were you having any luck before I came barging in?" she inquired, hoping she didn't sound too concerned.

"Not really. None of the girls I talked to had any idea what Juliet and I had talked about, but they each seemed to have some sort of Sirius-fantasy they wanted to tell me about. It was quite disturbing actually," he chuckled light-heartedly, though in actuality he was incredibly discouraged that Juliet had not responded to his message.

"Sirius, did you even consider that she may not have wanted to go up to you in public and tell you. What if you didn't believe her or rejected her?" Lia offered, knowing that if she hadn't been so angry about the sign in the first place, she would most definitely have been hesitant at best to respond.

Sirius sat up quickly and glared at Lia with a slightly confused tilt of his head. "What do you mean 'reject'? I wouldn't reject her! She's the one Lia! I know it!"

Lia sat up as well, so as to be level with her opponent. "I understand that you believe that Sirius, but what if you see her and suddenly change your mind? What if she's not as amazing on the outside as she is on in the inside? What will you do then?" She knew she was letting her own fears surface in this debate, but how else would she determine whether or not she wanted to be with Sirius?

"That doesn't matter to me!" Lia scoffed at this statement, but Sirius continued, "I know her, and it wouldn't matter if she had an elephant's trunk under her mask, she would still be perfect for me. I won't date another girl until I find her, even if it means I have to be single until I die," Sirius pledged sincerely, although the placing of his hand over his heart was a bit dramatic.

Lia found she had nothing to say in response to such a promise. She stared into Sirius' bottomless gray eyes, searching for clarity. A smile spread across her face, and Sirius wondered why her smile appeared so much brighter to him today.

Before either could speak, however, a flash of lightning illuminated the afternoon sky, which had grown dark during their argument. The clouds tore open, releasing their heavy load of precipitation onto the green expanse of the Hogwarts' grounds. Lia laughed in shock as the first drops landed on her head, and soon Sirius' deeper bellowing laugh joined hers. They stood and ran for shelter under an overhanging window in the castle wall, but not before they were thoroughly soaked from the unexpected downpour.

Lia frantically pulled her hair together into a messy bun, but strands kept falling out before she could fix them in place. Sirius reached out and touched the raven black strands.

"Your hair is curling," he said half-amazed.

"Yes, it does that when it's wet," she answered slightly annoyed at her misfortune.

"What? I've seen your hair wet. It's never curled before," he said, trying to find the truth behind this startling situation.

"It's always been up though hasn't it? My hair is curly, Sirius. It's not that big of a deal," she sighed and leaned against the wall.

What Lia didn't realize was that it wasn't her hair's curliness that disturbed Sirius, but the undeniable fact that he hadn't known before now. What else didn't he know about his supposed "best-and-only" female friend? Sirius was tempted to explain this to Lia, but before he had gathered his courage to do so, she grabbed his hand and, pulling him along, ran to the huge oak doors that lead into the Entrance Hall.

They entered the hall, dripping water onto the floor in quickly-accumulating puddles, still holding hands.

"I guess we should get a move on before the caretaker comes out and lectures us about being dry while indoors," Lia laughed. She began to walk towards the marble staircase and realized she still had Sirius' hand firmly held in her own. She grinned sheepishly and released her hold. To her surprise it took a second for Sirius to let go. Lia stared at the spot in the space between them where their hands had been joined together, and then she laughed nervously and ran towards the staircase.

--

Lia continued to run until she entered the Common Room. She looked around and found that Sirius had followed quickly and was right behind her. She punched him on the shoulder and smiled.

"I hope you didn't let me beat you here Sirius. You know how much I hate to be allowed to win," she teased.

"Yes, I know. Trust me, I will never allow you to win anything for fear of being forced into a leotard and tutu and being photographed again," he laughed and flopped onto the couch.

Lia made a "tsk" sound with her tongue and walked over to the couch saying, "I wouldn't sit on that couch all wet like that. You never know who'll sit on it next." Leaving Sirius to contemplate this statement, Lia walked up the stairs to her dorm where she changed into dry clothes and dried and brushed her long tresses. Exhausted by the day's events, she laid back on her bed, smiling at the canopy above her.

"I'll tell him it was me," she muttered to herself.

That was her last thought before she drifted to sleep, where memory-enhanced dreams of Sirius greeted and cheered her.

**A/N:** There you go my anxious readers. This update was much quicker, so I hope you are all happy with it. I'm feeling much better now, as is Lia, haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it's been another long gap between updates. I have had so much to do this past month or so. So, I've worked my heart out to get this up. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Five

I Can Tell By Your Shakin' Hands That You Want Me

Lia was torn reluctantly from a dream about the Halloween ball where things went differently and Sirius had removed her mask and professed undying love for her. She sighed and opened her bright blue eyes, finding a splash of red in her gaze.

"Lily, what do you want?" she muttered as she turned onto her side and pulled her blankets over her shoulders.

"To tell you something vitally important about your future!" Lily very nearly screamed in Lia's ear.

"What? What are you talking about?" Lia asked, her curiosity slightly aroused.

"Get ready and put on something semi-nice, then come down to the Common Room," Lily answered mysteriously, wringing her hands and then fluttering out of the dorm room.

Lia shook her head, her dark hair flying about her head. In the past weeks, since the thunderstorm and her conversation with Sirius in their garden, she had taken to wearing it down or in a loose, long braid down her back. If it was ever up anymore it was in a messy bun, not the former tight bun of her pre-love days as she referred to them now.

Lia pushed back her blankets and stood, letting the soles of her feet absorb the cold of the floor. She brushed and braided her hair as she rummaged through her belongings for something "semi-nice" to wear. She finally decided on an old graphic t-shirt of Sirius's that had fit him when he was maybe twelve, but still fit her after wearing it for five years, and a pair of black jeans. She pulled on her black suede boots and grabbed a gray sweater as she left the dorm room.

She bounced down the stairs, unusually perky despite Lily's foreboding wake-up call. Everyone in Hogwarts, but especially her close friends, had noticed a change in Lia's personality in the past few weeks. She was happier, more cheerful, less sarcastic, and smiled in public more in a day than she would have in a month before the change.

She met Lily, standing at the bottom of the stairs and asked, "What was the important thing I had to come see that interrupted my ritual Saturday morning lie-in?"

Lily refused to meet her friend's piercing eyes but did manage to discreetly lift her arm and point across the room. Lia frowned at her friend's behavior and looked across the room.

Her breath caught in her chest and she practically collapsed as her eyes fell on a shaggy black head whose face was attached to that of a blonde. Lia regained her composure and took a step toward the disgustingly public make-out seen, but Lily's hand wrapped around her upper arm and she could go no farther.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you should know before you saw them somewhere more public," Lily apologized and pulled Lia over to a table where they both sat down.

"I don't understand. He said – no, he swore – that he wouldn't date anyone until he found her – I mean me!" Lia whispered fervently. Her blue-eyed gaze kept drifting across the room to the armchair pulled into a corner, holding two intertwined bodies.

"Well, not to add to your depression, but you have had five weeks to tell him," Lily offered, unhelpfully.

Shooting a glare at her friend Lia replied, "That is beside the point Lily. I haven't told him it was me, but how could he break his promise? We've talked about why she hasn't come to him yet, and I made it pretty clear that she is probably shy or trying to figure out how to tell him. There's no way he's just given up on me."

Lily shrugged, but her semi-reassuring smile was sad and revealed what she really thought. The red-head stood, patted her friend's shoulder and walked away, leaving her to contemplate this new obstacle. Lia held her head in her hands keeping her eyes tightly closed.

Several minutes passed before she opened her eyes and looked around. The room was empty except for Lia and a certain shaggy-haired boy sitting in an armchair with a look of deep concentration on his face. Lia shook her head and stood. She straightened her shoulders, shook out her long hair and began to walk towards Sirius' corner.

"There's just no way."

Sirius's stern frown of deep thought disappeared as he looked up into Lia's calming blue eyes. They had a slightly violet tint to them today, and he absently wondered why as he scooted over, giving her room to sit on the arm of his chair.

Lia noticed his puzzled grin and how his fingers were tapping on the arm of the chair next to her leg. She inhaled sharply as the memory of his fingers brushing lightly across her shoulders flashed in her mind. She covered the excited gasp with a cough, and Sirius patted her roughly on the back. Lia bit her lip for a moment and then dove into the treacherous waters.

"So, you found your Juliet?" she asked, her voice much calmer than her rapidly beating heart.

"What?" Sirius looked up at her surprised and replied, "No, I haven't. Where'd you hear that?"

"Nowhere," Lia answered quickly. "I…I saw you with some blonde girl earlier and assumed she was the one, considering your oath not to date until you found Juliet." Sirius did not notice how much effort was put into not making eye contact during this confession.

"Blonde?" he asked, seeming truly puzzled. "Oh! You mean Dana!" Sirius laughed heartily and sighed deeply, leaning back into his chair.

Lia frowned. This was not a satisfactory explanation. She shoved Sirius' arm away from her waist, where it had stealthily wrapped itself after she sat down, and stood up.

Sirius sat up immediately, recognizing Lia's "angry stance". He pulled his arm into his lap and stared at it stupidly. Lia almost felt pity for him but stopped herself by huffing and puffing until he began to pout.

"What? What did I do? I wasn't laughing at you, I swear!" Sirius pleaded.

"Stupid! I don't know what you mean by 'Oh! Dana!' Who is she and why were you eating her face like it was Mrs. Potter's treacle tart?" Lia exclaimed.

He couldn't help it. The way her face was all screwed up like she'd just taken a shot and the clever analogy that was so her got to him. Without thinking about it, Sirius laughed. The increased fury in her eyes immediately told him it was a mistake. He began to shake his head and mumble something like "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to laugh! I'm sorry! Let me explain!"

"No! I won't listen to your ridiculous fake reasons for making out with 'Dana'! I'm tired of your shit Sirius! Just leave me alone!" Lia turned and furiously walked towards the girls' dorms.

"Lia, wait!" Sirius leapt up from the chair, bounded across the room, and jumped over the couch, skidding to a stop at the base of the stairs to the dorms. He threw out his arms, blocking the doorway. He breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling quickly. Lia stood, tapping her foot impatiently, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"Just listen, ok? Dana is not Juliet. She's not even someone I like. I mean, she's nice and a good kisser…" Sirius chanced a glance at Lia and instantly stopped the trip down that road. "What I'm trying to tell you is that I was just doing her a favor. There's some guy she likes and she thought that if he thought she was hot enough to be with me that he would like her."

Lia scoffed and rolled her eyes as he finished his explanation.

"Do you really think I'm going to believe that?" Her dark brows were knit into a furious frown and her eyes seemed to flash with her anger, but there was something behind the anger that Sirius couldn't name.

"Lia, I don't know what else to tell you. That's the truth. I agreed to help her because I thought it might work for me too," he sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"What do you mean? You thought what would work for you?" Lia's anger was fading, but she knew if she let it go that her pain would start to show, so she continued to frown and glare.

Sirius coughed and looked at the floor. "I thought that if Juliet saw me making out with Dana that she would get jealous and finally tell me who she is. But it obviously hasn't worked because you're the only girl who's talked to me since," he finished with a deep sigh. Sirius glanced at Lia, but he didn't catch the sad and nervous look flash across her features. He only saw the smile beginning; saw the corners of her mouth turning up.

"What? What did I do?" He frowned slightly, but a smile was coming to his lips as well.

"Nothing, you didn't do anything. I just…" For a split second she thought the secret was finally going to come out. She was going to tell him how much he meant to her, how much she cared for him. Then that second passed, and she continued, "I can't believe you thought that would draw out Juliet. Come on, Sirius. If she's fallen for you, you know she's way classier than that," she laughed and pushed by Sirius' broad shoulders, a tingle running through her entire body as she touched him.

"Oh, I didn't think about that," Sirius admitted. He absently rubbed his arm as a strong shiver ran from his fingertips to the base of his spine.

Lia waved and walked away up the stairs.

"I know you didn't."

---

Sirius still didn't quite understand what had happened this morning to turn Lia's attitude so quickly. He had been thinking about it all day, and now, as he sat under the night sky with his best friends he stared across the fire at her smiling face as she talked with Lily about something. It was strange to see Lily allowing James to sit next to her, let alone her fingers entwined with his. He suddenly felt a dull ache in the center of his chest. He thought perhaps it was a chest cold, but a little nudge from his heart told him that wasn't true. Sirius ran his hand through his hair, wishing for a soft hand to hold, and felt someone patting him on the back. He looked over at Remus, who was roasting a marshmallow for Peter and smiling at his shaggy-haired friend.

Sirius allowed himself to return the grin, but then returned to pondering Lia's actions. Without realizing it, he was staring at her, more specifically at the way the firelight reflected all the shades of brown and ebony in her loose, dark hair and how her bright smile made her blue eyes squint closed and the way her long fingers moved as they twirled two daisy stems together. He was so enraptured with Lia's aesthetic pleasantness that he jumped in surprise and fell backwards when her gaze met with his stare. Everyone's laugh lifted into the night air at Sirius' ridiculousness, but even Hestia's goofy snort couldn't drown at the melodic tune of Lia's giggles in Sirius' ears.

A moment later everyone returned to their conversations and s'more eating. Remus patted Sirius' shoulder again and chuckled softly as he leaned towards his friend and whispered, "Don't worry, Padfoot. I won't tell Lia until you're ready."

"What?" Sirius asked, severely confused, but he received no answer. Remus' smile simply grew as he focused on making Peter and Hestia's s'mores.

---

Lia walked alone, well sort of, on the school grounds. About fifteen feet ahead of her were Hestia and Remus with Peter just behind, trying to keep up. Way behind her, James and Lily were strolling, hand in hand, staring up at the stars shining from the black abyss. Sirius was only a few feet behind her, capable of overtaking her, but not doing so. She wondered if her behavior this morning had distressed him, but if he was upset with her than why had he continued to stare at her all night. She was confused and starting to get cold. In frustration, she ran her hands through her hair.

"Hey, you're finally picking up my habits," Sirius' voice came from the darkness to her right.

She smiled over at him. "I certainly hope not, especially not that one. We all know you just do that to make your hair look disheveled. You're not really frustrated or thinking," she laughed and hooked her arm through his.

"Don't pick on how I style my hair," he retorted.

"Oh, dear, please forgive oh mighty Sirius Black," Lia mocked and poked his cheek.

"Ouch. Don't do that!" he said as he poked her shoulder.

"Well, don't do that!" She poked his forehead.

He poked her nose.

She poked his stomach.

He poked her neck and she squirmed.

"Oy! You know I'm ticklish there!" Lia screamed.

"Oh really?" Sirius smiled mischievously as he tickled Lia's neck.

"No! Sirius stop!" But Lia was soon laughing too hard to speak and fell onto the ground. Sirius stood triumphantly and laughed heartily. Just as he opened his mouth to declare his victory, Lia's leg swung out, hitting his legs, and bringing him to the ground. She pounced, attacking each of his ticklish spots as he squealed and laughed. The battle raged on, each side got in many good attacks, and eventually agreed on a truce. They stood and resumed their walk back to the castle.

Lia glanced around and realized they were alone. Their friends had reached the castle while they had their tickle-war. She and Sirius were walking side-by-side in the moonlight. Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest. She glanced over at Sirius and smiled.

"So, did Juliet reveal herself after we…talked?" she asked in an off-hand way.

"No. You were right. I should have known she would respond to something as goofy as that," he sighed.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Maybe she knew I fussed at you, so she decided not to talk to you," Lia suggested.

"No, you were right. She's got to be classy, amazing, there's no way she'd fall for that. I probably don't deserve her anyway. I should give up. You know, move on," Sirius finished sadly.

"What are you talking about? You guys are perfect for each other. I know it. You are the best guy for her Sirius, trust me," Lia draped her arm around his shoulders and gave him an encouraging squeeze.

"How do you know? You haven't met her-have you?" Sirius stepped away from Lia. He crossed his arms against his chest and waited for her answer.

Lia opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Her brain was shouting at her to deny it, to say that she had no idea who Juliet was, just like it had been for weeks. Her heart, on the other hand, was gently pushing the truth forward to fall from her lips, to release her from her secret, and to finally hold Sirius again like she had on Halloween Night.

"Sirius I do--" Lia started to confess, but a long howl echoed across the grounds from the forest and the moment was gone. She and Sirius both turned to stare into the depths of the forest. His arms wrapped around her protectively as the cry pierced the night again.

"I don't understand. It's not a full moon. He was just with us," Lia muttered, a shiver of mingling fear and ecstasy ran down her spine as she huddled against Sirius' chest.

"It's not Moony," Sirius stated matter-of-factly. He looked down at Lia and pushed a strand of hair from her face. "You need to get to the castle." It wasn't really a command, but it was obvious that he did not want to be questioned.

"You need to get to the castle too Sirius," Lia added desperately. He kissed the top of her head and started to move away. Lia couldn't enjoy the moment or even the voice that told her that it was weird. She had to stop him. She grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him back.

"This isn't your fight Sirius. This isn't your problem. Let's go before we get hurt or worse," she argued, but Sirius wasn't listening. He was staring into the forest, looking for any sign of movement. Lia's voice broke his concentration.

"Sirius, please. For me."

Sirius looked at Lia and saw something unusual in her eyes: tears. One fell and he gently wiped it away. He nodded and walked towards the castle with her.

---

When they reached the Gryffindor Common Room, they found their friends waiting for them. Everyone rushed at them, frantically asking if they were ok. They had heard the howls and, knowing Sirius, had thought he was being heroic and that Lia had gone after him to save him. Both Lia and Sirius smiled and reassured their friends that they were fine, and that no one had gone after the creature. Remus seemed especially worried, so they both gave him huge hugs and Lia kissed his cheek. Sirius tried to kiss his cheek too, but Remus was too quick and ducked away.

One more round of "Yes, we're fine. Really!" and everyone was satisfied. They each headed to bed until only Lia and Sirius were left in the Common Room. Sirius walked with Lia to the girls' dorm staircase, though she didn't know why.

"Um…thanks, I guess," Lia grinned and stepped up onto the first stair. Sirius grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him, "What?"

"Um…nothing. Goodnight," he managed to say. He smiled sheepishly and ran his hands through his hair.

"Goodnight Sirius," Lia whispered, her laughter evident in her voice. She leaned towards Sirius and kissed him on the cheek. "Didn't want you to think I like Remus better," she laughed, winked, and continued her walk upstairs.

Sirius stood frozen. He had no idea why, but Lia's innocent kiss had sent him back to Halloween night with Juliet or at least to those feelings. He stumbled backwards and fell onto the couch in front of the dying fire.

"Holy shit."

**A/N:** Ta-da! It took me forever, but it's done! Huzzah! I finally had a night without homework where I could write. Hope you enjoy. Please give me feedback. I really appreciate it.


	6. Chapter 6

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it's been another long gap between updates. I have had so much to do this past month or so. So, I've worked my heart out to get this up. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

But That's What You Get When You Live in a Small World

"It's not possible right? I was imagining it or dreaming, right? Right?" Sirius asked nervously. It seemed his entire life hung on the answer to this question.

"What do you mean 'it's not possible'? I've been waiting for this to happen for years," Prongs laughed heartily before he stuffed his face with eggs and French toast.

Remus shoved James' shoulder so hard he ran into Peter, who was shaken from his pancake stupor, making him fall onto the girl next to him. Peter apologized repeatedly, but the girl just giggled and turned back to her plain piece of toast and water.

Remus sighed wearily and took a sip of pumpkin juice before answering Sirius' question. "Padfoot, I'm afraid I have to agree with Prongs on this one," James' eyes popped in surprise. He pinched Remus' cheek and continued to wolf-down his breakfast. Remus rolled his eyes and rubbed his cheek, "Anyway…I think that it was sort of inevitable that you would develop feelings for Lia. I mean, you spent all that time with her trying to figure out what girl is perfect for you, couldn't it be possible she was right in front of you the whole time?" Remus ended philosophically. He took another sip of pumpkin juice, giving Sirius time to soak in his answer.

Sirius chewed a bite of jelly-soaked muffin while contemplating the idea that he was falling for Lia. He could not deny that he loved Lia very much, but he had thought it was only as a friend. Since Halloween, their relationship had been different. He had found Juliet and Lia had been there for him through all of his mood swings about his mystery love. That Saturday two weeks ago had been the strangest experience yet.

He choked down the rest of his bagel and ran his hand through his hair, "Do you really think so Moony?" Remus nodded his head and elbowed James who also nodded. When James elbowed Peter he looked around surprised and nervous, thinking he had missed something, which he had. James just patted Peter on the head and nodded at Sirius again. Peter nodded too, just to be safe, and then returned to his second helping of pancakes.

"But, if I am falling for her, I can't tell her!" Sirius exclaimed.

"What? Why?" asked James.

"Because I swore I wouldn't date another girl until I found Juliet, and Lia has been holding me to my oath," he explained.

"Oh…" chorused James and Remus. Remus looked towards the entrance and grimaced, "Well, you'd better decide what to do. Here she comes. Uh...Lia, not Juliet," he added hastily at seeing Sirius' surprised face.

Lia walked towards the Marauders with Lily and Hestia chattering back and forth beside her. She smiled at each of the boys, "Good morning guys." She ruffled Sirius' hair before sitting down next to him. Lily sat across from Remus, but gave James a shy smile before grabbing a couple pieces of toast. Hestia somehow made her way around the table and sat down next to Remus. Lia wasn't sure, but she thought they were holding hands beneath the table.

A goofy grin had been plastered on Sirius' face since Lia had ruffled his hair. James snorted loudly, but covered it with a cough after being elbowed by Remus. The girls and Peter stared at the coughing bespectacled boy, confused. Remus took the opportunity to kick Sirius who howled and glared at his attacker, but at least the grin was gone. Remus just shrugged when the group's stares turned to him and continued the conversation.

"So, ladies, what are your plans for Christmas Holiday?" he smiled pleasantly at Lily.

"Oh," the redhead gasped, surprised to be addressed after the strange events that had just passed. "Well, I'm going on holiday to Switzerland with my parents. We go there every few years for the skiing. And the chocolate, too," she giggled as she finished. Her gaze caught James' admiring, slightly creepy stare, and her pale cheeks flushed.

Hestia gave her blushing friend a knowing smile and answered the question so as to draw the attention from Lily's glowing cheeks. "I'm staying home, in Glasgow, with my family. All of my uncles, my dad's brothers, come to our house with their families and we celebrate the holidays together," she turned an impatient stare on Remus, who coughed and smiled at Lia, hoping to escape Hestia's meaningful gaze.

"What about you Lia? Any special plans for the holiday?" Remus asked nervously.

"Remus! I'm shocked. How could you even ask such a question?" piped in Sirius. He playfully scoffed his anxious friend, "Of course, Lia is coming to the Potter's for Christmas with us, just like she has every year. Come on, mate, use that supposedly brilliant brain of yours."

Lia smiled and shook her head, "Actually, I've been meaning to tell you…" she paused and glanced at Sirius, waiting for his reaction.

He stared at her in a befuddled and familiar manner, "What do you mean Lia?"

"Well, I won't be joining you boys at the Potter's this year."

"What? Why are you just telling me this?"

"I just found out! Honestly, Sirius, can you think of any other reason I wouldn't tell you?" Lia asked, but to Sirius it sounded like a distraction tactic.

"Maybe there is! So, why _are_ you deserting us this Christmas? Hmmm, Lia? What's the reason?" Sirius had turned to face Lia on the bench and was leaning in towards her in his best "bad cop" attitude.

"You're acting like a child, Sirius. Maybe I would have told you if you hadn't gotten so snippy, but now, I don't think I will. How do you like that?" she fired back, her blue eyes shining with ferocity or tears, the four onlookers couldn't quite tell.

"Not at all," Sirius answered quite simply, in a serious tone of voice. Lia was taken aback at his short reply, surprised that he wasn't going to continue his childish rant.

"Fine."

She looked around at her friends, but found no comfort in their confused gazes. She stared down at her folded hands in her lap, trying to gain control of her emotions. If she didn't tell him where and why she was going, he would never understand, but if she told him, he might judge her fiercely, and Lia was uncertain which would be worse. She finished her pumpkin juice in one long draught and set it down on the table with an echoing clink.

"I've lost my appetite," she said finally, breaking the silence that had fallen after her brief argument with Sirius. Lia left the table before anyone could reply or protest.

Lily and Hestia stood to follow her at the same moment as Sirius. He held out a hand to stop them. "I'll go. It's my fault I suppose," he explained shortly. His echoing footsteps were lost in the sudden rush of chatter and clinking silverware that filled the remaining friends' ears.

A/N: I know it's quite short, but the seventh chapter is right behind it. Sorry it's been so long.


	7. Chapter 7

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note: **Told you it was coming!

Chapter Seven

Forgive Me and Let Me In

He had given up. It was pointless. He would never be able to do it. He would never find her. He had looked everywhere. She didn't want to be found. So, he returned to the seventh year boys' dormitory. He thought he heard sobbing as he approached the door. He paused and listened closely, and then entered the room. The sun had set long before he had ended his search and only shadows lingered in the round and seemingly empty room.

"Prongs? Moony? Wormy? Are you guys in here?" Sirius' deep voice filled the silence of the room for a moment before it faded away. He shivered slightly in a cold breeze coming in through the window.

"Bloody Hell! Who left the window open?" he asked the empty room as he leaned out and pulled the window closed. He latched it firmly and sighed, leaning his forehead against the cold, damp windowpane. A sniffle broke the silence. Sirius slowly turned and found himself enraptured by a most unexpected sight.

Lia was laying bathed in moonlight on top of his bed. He gasped in pleasant surprise as a strange rush swept through his body. He resisted the urge to wake her, and instead, sat next to her on the edge of the bed.

She was asleep, but a slow stream of tears insisted on flowing from her closed eyes. A sharp pain dug into Sirius' chest at the sight of those teardrops glistening on her dark cheeks in the moonlight. Painstakingly slowly, he stretched his hand towards her face and gently brushed the tears away. Lia breathed deeply and a small grin formed on her lips at his touch.

Sirius smiled and moved closer to her. He pushed a curly lock of raven-black hair away from her face, exposing her jaw and neck to the flattering moonlight. He traced her jaw, his fingertips barely touching her skin, making the unexpected sensation even more tantalizing. His fingers moved to her long neck, slowly running up and down its length before ending their escapade in leisurely drawn circles on her naked shoulder. Sirius leaned closer to Lia's sleeping figure and brushed his lips against the delicate skin of her shoulder. He felt the electrifying shiver run through her body before he pulled away and reluctantly replaced the shoulder of her loose sweater to its rightful place.

Sirius stood and pulled the crumpled coverlet from the foot of his bed over Lia. He knelt by the head of the bed and couldn't help but smile when Lia muttered something in her sleep. He kissed her forehead, her nose, but paused before touching his lips to hers. He moved away from temptation and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

He stood and stepped away from his bed until he ran into James' bed and flopped onto it. He laid back and stared up at the canopy, unsure of what exactly was happening to him and more importantly what to do about it.

---

Sunlight danced through the curtains of the window next to Lia's bed, splashing her with startling brightness. She opened her blue eyes to greet the December sun. She stretched her long, thin arms above her head and pointed her toes toward the foot of the bed, trying to undo the knots and kinks in her muscles. She turned onto her side and stared into the shadow of Lily's bed.

Not Lily's bed. Not even Hestia's bed. Not her bed. Not her room.

Lia sat up quickly and looked around. She was in the boys' dormitory. She had come up here to wait for Sirius so that she could explain where she was going on holiday, but he hadn't come. She had cried so much. Her eyes felt raw and dry. She had fallen asleep on his bed. The window had been open. Lia looked into the darkness of the bed next to Sirius', James' presumably. There was someone sleeping there.

"God, please don't let it be James," she whispered as she approached the sleeping Marauder. It wasn't James. Lia sighed in relief and then smiled brightly taking in the sight of his ruffled hair and crumpled clothes. She reached out and tenderly pushed some of his shaggy brown hair out of his face.

Sirius' eyes flickered open at Lia's touch. He smiled when he recognized her silhouette against the morning sun.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Hi," he replied giddily.

Lia frowned slightly at his bemused attitude.

"What?" Sirius sat up quickly, worried by Lia's frown. He wanted to talk to her about yesterday, but if something was wrong he would let her go first.

Lia walked back to Sirius' bed and sat down crossed-legged on top of it. She pulled a hair tie from her pocket and braided her hair, trying to stall long enough so that she could get her thoughts in order.

"Lia, what is it? What do you have to tell me? Is it about yesterday?" Sirius asked the anxiety in his voice obvious.

"Yes, well actually, it's about Christmas," Lia answered. She looked up in time to see the dark expression flash across Sirius' face. "Please, just listen, Sirius. I want you to understand everything before you get angry," Lia paused, waiting for Sirius' assuring nod. She sighed and clasped her hands muttering, "How do I start? Sirius, this Christmas, instead of celebrating at the Potter's with you, I'm going to be…in Ireland."

Here she paused and looked up, waiting for what she had just said to sink in. It took a moment, but eventually Sirius' eyes lit up in anger and he shot up off of the bed quicker than a firecracker.

"No! Lia, you cannot go there! How can you do this? Did he threaten you? What on earth could possess you to go see _him_?" Sirius fired at her. He covered the five feet between the beds in one step and knelt in front of her. He took her hands in his and looked up into her deep blue and tear-filled eyes. "Why do you want to put yourself through this again?"

"Sirius, I have to go. He hasn't contacted me in four years. Just because he's a bad guy doesn't change who he is to me. He's still my dad," she finished gravely.

"No, Lia. He's not your dad. He's your biological father. He doesn't deserve a place in your life," Sirius paused and ran a hand through his hair, though he kept the other firmly clasped around Lia's. "Don't go," he pleaded. He stood and gently placed his hands on the sides of her face, tilting it up so that she was looking straight into his desperate gaze.

Lia took hold of Sirius' wrists and squeezed lightly, "I'm sorry, Sirius." She stood and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. All of her anxieties and, she had to admit, fears about going to see her dad melted away in his arms. The only things in the world were his heartbeat and the warmth of his chest.

Sirius slowly pulled Lia's arms from around him. He stepped back, still holding her wrists. She looked up at him, confused. He dropped her arms, wiped the tears from her cheeks and walked out of the room.

**A/N:** Ta da! I know this one was pretty serious and the last one was too, and the next one probably will be too. I'll try to add a little humor to brighten the mood. I hope everyone is still enjoying. Please review! Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note: **Shazam! Whoa! I just looked out my window and saw a beautiful sunset. I'm guessing that's how you guys feel seeing yet another update for this story. Tehee, but maybe I'm being a little vain. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Eight

Forgetting Makes Things Easier

The clashing and banging rattled the entire house. The racket roused a shaggy headed, grey eyed young man moping drowsily in his bedroom. Sirius sat up sleepily and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. With a smooth and practiced air, he waved his wand, shooting what looked like a red exploding firecracker from its end, through the slightly cracked door and downstairs to the kitchen. The girlish screams of his friends, the melodic giggles of Mrs. Potter and the booming guffaws of Mr. Potter rose from the ground floor of the house to the depressed Sirius' ears. The tiniest of grins formed on his lips before he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.

It seemed only seconds later when the softest of knocks was tapped on his door. Sirius grunted admittance to his visitor and rolled over onto his side away from the door. The gentle clinking of the cutlery as his breakfast tray was placed on the bedside table made Sirius cringe. It was too like her laugh. The deliverer sat on the foot of his bed and bounced, throwing a bit of toast at Sirius' head.

"Prongs cut it out!" he grumbled.

"Make me," answered Remus' voice. Sirius turned over and sat up; the most he had moved in days. Remus smiled his trademark shy and understanding grin and shook his head at his friend's pathetic state.

"Mate, what's wrong? I was only gone for two days!" Remus joked and ate a piece of sausage.

"I missed you Moony, really, but I'm not depressed because you left us to be with Hestia. Oh, thanks again for letting us in on your big romance. Oh, wait! You didn't!" Sirius huffed and shoved an entire hardboiled egg into his mouth. He grumbled while he chewed and glared at Remus, who simply rolled his eyes and ate toast with jam.

"Alright, then what is your problem? Christmas is tomorrow and if you don't buck up Mrs. Potter is going to think you don't love her anymore," Remus made a play at Sirius' guilty conscience, but it failed miserably.

"Liar, she already knows what's wrong. So there," he finished childishly.

"So, why don't you tell me what's wrong? Is it because Lia isn't here? Didn't she say she'd spend New Year's Eve with us? I'm sure she'll make up for missing Christmas with a very nice present to pet your ego," Remus laughed and received a scalding glare from Sirius. Remus' merriment left his expression. He observed his friend carefully and sighed, "Oh, that's where she went."

"Yes! Can you believe her? Is she insane? I don't understand it. Almost everyone in my family has killed someone, even some people I know, and I hate them. I disowned myself! _That man_ killed her mother and she _still _goes to see him? What the Hell am I missing Remus?" Sirius burst, all of his anger and frustration rushing out of his body in one great rant.

"He's still her—" Remus started to say.

"NO! He's not, Moony. Don't ever say that! How can he be after what he did?" Sirius flopped backwards onto his pillows, pulling one of them over his face.

"Sirius, shut up. It is her decision to treat him as she sees fit. It's not as though she's missed him or has even forgiven him. For twelve years he was her dad. She loved him with her whole heart. Then…well—Anyway, you can't blame her for still feeling connected to him."

Sirius huffed and ate a piece of toast in two huge bites. He swallowed the orange juice Remus had brought with his breakfast and, after one last glare at his annoyingly correct friend, Sirius huddled under his comforter. Remus threw a dirty sock at Sirius head as he left the room.

"You know, you should come outside with everyone. We're going to go sledding. Might help improve your mood," he suggested before he shut the door.

Sirius turned to lie on his back. He stared at the enchanted ceiling of his bedroom. Mrs. Potter, also known as Jean to the Marauders, had spent an entire month working on it after he had come to live with them last year. He had come home one day to find his ceiling covered in giant life-like changing and moving cumulus clouds. Sirius tried to pick out the different animals on his ceiling this morning, but it only reminded him of his troubles with Lia, those concerning her father and more importantly, his heart. Sirius sighed heavily, "Sledding could be fun."

---

Lia had tried to read, to eat supper, lunch and breakfast, to watch a muggle film, and to play a one-sided game of checkers that deceptively cheery Christmas Eve in her Dublin Inn hotel room. Nothing had improved her spirits or distracted her from the extremely difficult task ahead of her or from the distinctly painful ache in her chest that she knew had nothing to do with her father. She was now pacing in front of the fireplace in her room. She had been debating whether or not to floo the Potters' house for a good half an hour now, and every so often she wondered if she was wearing out the floor.

In frustration, she fell back onto her queen sized bed. Lia covered her eyes with her hands, and so did not see the flare of green shoot from the fire. The first sign that anything had changed in her room came with a familiar voice.

"Hello! Lia? Are you there?" called Remus Lupin's voice.

Lia sat up and looked around, wondering if it was possible the stress had made her go insane. Her gaze fell on the fire, now glowing green, in which Remus' head was bobbing. She gasped and slid to the floor, ending cross-legged in front of the fire.

"Happy Christmas, Remus! Oh, I wish I could hug you," she laughed and for the first time that day, a smile lit her face.

"Happy Christmas, Lia. I wish you could hug me, too, because that would mean you were here at the Potters' house," he sighed and shook his head. Lia thought he may have been trying not to run his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry. Is he really that bad?" Lia looked away from the fire as she asked, afraid of seeing the look on Remus' face when he gave her the answer she was expecting.

"Well, he was moping terribly when I arrived. Apparently, he'd been that way for days. James said he would only talk to Jean. I gave him a talking to when I got here, though, and now he's being overbearingly cheery. It's terribly annoying," Remus chuckled lightly and caught Lia's eye. "Couldn't you floo over, just for a few minutes? Come have dinner with us. We're eating late because Sirius insisted on staying out sledding for an extra hour," Remus finished, rolled his eyes and grinned at Lia.

She returned the smile, grateful for his tempting invitation, but she couldn't accept, "I'm sorry Remus. I have to do this. I—He…well—I don't really know why I have to, but I know that I must."

"I understand that, love. It's not me that needs an explanation."

"I know that. Sirius has never—well, we both know how he is about family," Lia sighed. "You should get going. You don't want to miss dinner. Give everyone my love."

"Alright, Happy Christmas. Be safe," Remus smiled and winked cheerfully.

"I will. I promise."

With that, Remus' shaggy dirty blonde head disappeared from the fire and the flames returned to their normal red and orange state.

---

James sat in his favorite recliner in front of the merry fire, patting his stomach, and chewing on a candy cane. He turned to his mother and smiled, "I must say mum, that was by fire the best Christmas dinner you have ever prepared."

Mr. and Mrs. Potter both chuckled at their son, their sons really. It seemed the past five Christmases had consisted of the Marauders lounging around the living room after a delightful roast dinner. "Thank you dear, your review is always the highlight of my holidays," Mrs. Potter replied as she stood and pulled her husband with her from the couch. 

"Enjoy yourself boys. We're going to put away leftovers and such. Any volunteers?" Mr. Potter grinned hopefully at the stuffed seventeen year olds sprawled across his furniture.

"Sorry, I think you're alone on KP, sir. I would help, but I don't think I can move," Sirius laughed and rubbed his belly. Mr. Potter chuckled and followed his wife towards the kitchen.

"Wait! You guys are under the mistletoe," rose Peter's overjoyed voice from a pile of pillows on the floor. The adult Potters smiled at each other and kissed, Mr. Potter dipping his wife in a dramatic kiss. The boys whooped, hollered and whistled all through the kiss until the couple disappeared into the kitchen.

"Well, that was lovely, wouldn't you agree Moony?" James' question disturbed the silence that had fallen.

"Yes, I would indeed Prongs. A lovely holiday indeed," he answered as he nudged Sirius' shoulder. Sirius was shaken from his fire-induced trance and nodded, a dazed and faint smile on his lips.

"What's up Padfoot? You look like you're thinking of something lovely," Peter commented, popping a chocolate into his mouth.

"What is with you guys and the word lovely?" Sirius' bark-like laughter was joined by his friends' various melodies.

"So, what were you thinking about mate?" Remus urged once the moment of mirth had passed.

Sirius gave them each a meaningful glance, "What do you think?" A series of 'oh's echoed around the room several times.

"Yep. Not even this 'lovely' holiday could distract me that much. It was lovely though," Sirius finished sadly. All four of the boys took on a somber countenance, each staring into the warm, flickering flames of the fire before them. None of them noticed the opening and closing of the front door in the foyer beyond the doorway behind them. Neither did they notice the gentle clacking of heels across the marble floor to the other door to the kitchen. The gasps of surprise and laughter flowing from the kitchen also managed to escape their attention. In fact, none of them noticed any change in the household until after the kitchen door swung open and a young woman walked across the room to stand in front of the fire.

"Merry Christmas boys!" Lia shouted. The boys jumped in their seats and eventually their eyes rested on her. Remus stood first and hugged her tightly, then Peter and James. The three of them hugged her three times each before Sirius rose from his position on the couch and made his way over to the small crowd. His friends let him through, so that he could get to his other childhood friend.

Lia began to stare at the floor as Sirius broke through his fellow Marauders. Now, she slowly raised her gaze to the hazel eyes shining in the fire light. She grinned sheepishly, apologetically, folding and unfolding her hands in front of her. Sirius stopped just before their bodies touched. He pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled brightly before wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. He lifted her from the ground and spun her around before releasing her from his grasp. They smiled brightly at each other for a moment while the other boys regained their seats.

Remus, being the gentleman, took two of Peter's pillows and sat on the floor, giving Lia his place on the couch. There was little need for his sacrifice, however, because Sirius would not release Lia. He sat her down next to him, keeping his arm firmly draped around her shoulders. She stretched her legs out and leaned against Sirius' chest with a satisfied sigh.

---

Hours later, after further exchanging of presents and eating of deserts, the five teenagers remained in their lounging positions on the Potters' good furniture and cushions. Peter, James, Remus, and Lia's chests all rose and fell rhythmically in pleasant sleep. Sirius, on the other hand, was staring in the dying embers of the fire. He glanced around the dark room to be certain that everyone was asleep before gently placing a kiss on Lia's forehead and mumbling something that sounded strangely like, "An elephant shoe."

Then the dark haired, hazel eyed, charming young man leaned back, shifted slightly, and closed his eyes. Before drifting off to sleep he muttered, "A merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

**A/N:** Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I tried to end cheerily seeing as it is a cheery season. We'll see what happens next after the New Year I suspect.


	9. Chapter 9

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary:** Everyone knows that Sirius Black was the ladies' man of Hogwarts in the 70's. What everyone doesn't know, is that he didn't get the ladies on his own. Behind the scenes was his match-maker, an old friend trying to help Sirius find "The One".

**Disclaimer:** Any and all Harry Potter characters belong solely to JK Rowling, not poor, pitiful me. I simply have manipulated her characters to do my bidding, muahahaa. Oh, and Lia is mine, so hands off!

**Author's Note: **Happy New Year! Hope 2008 is playing out well for all my readers. It is going awesome for me. I just got my first acceptance letter to college! I am feeling excited and generous, so here you go.

Chapter Nine

So Baby Don't Hold Back

"No drinking, drugs, sex, girls except Lia, Lily, and Hestia, no leaving the house at all. That includes midnight Quidditch. You know how to reach us. We'll be at the Longbottom's house, which reminds me why didn't you boys invite Frank?" Mrs. Potter's lecture suddenly became an interrogation.

"Darling, let's go. We're going to be late. Despite the troves of evidence against it, the boys do know how to behave. Still, you should listen and obey everything she just said," Mr. Potter gave the boys a wink as he ushered his wife out the door. Before closing the door he whispered, "Just don't get too wild, eh? And clean it up."

Sirius chuckled and slapped James on the back. "Your dad is so cool, mate. Alright, go floo your lady friends. I will get the party started," Sirius laughed as he walked into the kitchen.

The remaining marauders looked around the foyer for a moment and then split up. Remus and James went to the living room to floo Lily and Hestia while Peter jogged up the stairs to check on Lia. She had disappeared into her room earlier that afternoon and had not been seen by the boys since.

Peter knocked lightly, then a bit harder before calling Lia's name.

"Peter, you can't come in right now. I'll be down soon for the party. Now go away please," her voice answered, muffled by the door.

Peter sighed and walked downstairs where he met James and Remus in the foyer. "Are the girls on their way?" he asked cheerfully. He received only confused glares as an answer. He followed them into the kitchen where Sirius was finishing up sending the impromptu invitations. Sirius turned to face them and smiled, "Okay fellas, the party is on. Everyone is on their way." His self-assured grin disappeared from his face as he took in the frowns on Remus and James' faces. "What's wrong? Can't Hestia and Lily come?"

"Wouldn't know," answered James in a huff.

"Neither of them was at home. Their parents said they were at friends' houses. Do you think they forgot?" Remus explained shortly.

The doorbell rang, saving Sirius from thinking up an answer. He patted his friends on the back as he left the kitchen to let in the guests. He smiled and greeted as every student from three houses and four years entered the Potters' house. There was a decided draught in the foyer from the door being open so long. He looked around once the flood had diminished. She wasn't down yet. He felt bad for James and Remus, but at least their girls were somewhere else, not hiding in the same house as them.

The Marauders stood together in the foyer. The rest of the house was filled with people. Music had been turned on and was barely audible over the constant chatter. Peter looked up first. He tugged on his friends' sleeves and pointed up at the top of the staircase.

The next moments passed in slow motion for three fourths of the pranking quartet. Hestia came first in a bright red dress that set off her blonde hair perfectly. Remus couldn't take his eyes off of her. He approached the bottom of the stairs as she reached the final step. He offered his arm, she took it, and they walked into the crowded living room together.

James was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for what seemed to him like ages. Lily had started down the stairs just after Hestia, but James had not noticed his friend's girl at all. He was mesmerized by his vision in forest green. Lily's vibrant red hair was tied up in some complicated style that complimented the shape of her face, but of course her best feature was her shining eyes. The color of her dress highlighted that of her eyes so that they shone brighter than the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Lily kissed her boyfriend's cheek when she reached him and pulled him after her into the party.

Peter tagged along after the couples, leaving Sirius in the foyer alone. He ran his hand through his shaggy black hair and sighed. He had no idea where Lia was. She had been overly cheerful since the day after Christmas when she told Sirius what had happened in Dublin.

---

"_He's dead."_

"_What? How?"_

"_He hung himself four months ago," Lia bit her lip and flopped onto Sirius' bed. She laid back and sighed deeply. Sirius joined her, wrapping his arms around her in a protective hug._

"_I'm sorry you had to find out like this."_

"_So am I. The warden told me he—he was holding a picture of me and my mother and—and the letter I wrote him this summer. Remember? It was the fifth anniversary of her death and I was so out of it. You stayed with me all day. When you fell asleep, I wrote a letter telling him how much I hated him and would never forgive him. He hung himself a week after he got the letter," Lia inhaled a rattling breath and let out a strangled sob. She turned onto her other side and rested her head on Sirius' chest, her tears soaking the front of his shirt._

---

Sirius stared up at the chandelier and rubbed his eyes. When he looked back at the top of the stairs, his vision was filled with spots. By the time they had passed, Lia was half-way down the stairs. Sirius couldn't help but stare. Her long hair was in its naturally curly state but tamed and styled. The loose curls bounced and floated around her with every movement. The shiny silver satin of her dress made her dark skin glow, and the style left just enough to the imagination. Sirius met her as she stepped onto the floor. She smiled and linked arms with him.

"You're not being a very good host, you know. Let's go," she ordered playfully as she dragged him into the crowd.

Lia never drank alcohol, but that didn't stop the rest of the party-goers from doing so, including the marauders. Sirius was sloshed by the time the count-down began. He slurred each second as he shouted it, trying to outdo James who was equally trashed. Lia and Lily were half supporting them – half hugging them when the New Year began. They shared an awkward four-way hug because the boys could not stand without their lady-crutches. Remus and Hestia gave hugs before disappearing upstairs to Remus' room. Peter was asleep out in his room. Lia had levitated him up there around 10:30 while Sirius laughed, "Poor Pete, never was one for parties."

James was planting sloppy kisses on Lily with no regard as to where they were landing. Lily was laughing through her frown as she informed Lia that she was putting James to bed before going upstairs.

Lia put Sirius in a vacant recliner and monitored the party until two in the morning when the last guest finally left. Slightly annoyed and entirely exhausted, Lia nearly forgot about Sirius when she began the trek upstairs after sweeping the entire house with cleaning charms. She went back to the living room and found him exactly where she'd left him. She laughed at his limp form, practically falling off of the chair. She walked over, placed a levitating charm on him and toted him out of the room. He was barely conscious as she led him upstairs, floating on his back, but he managed to say something stupid as most hammered men do.

"You know what Lia? I don't care anymore. She can go on being a mystery. In fact, if she told me who she was right now I could care less. She's not the one. I was wrong, you were right. You're always right, Lia. Lia, Lia, Lia. Your real name is so pretty! Why don't you every go by it?" he stammered and babbled as they made the short journey to his bedroom.

"Sirius, what are you talking about? Who's not the one? Surely, you don't mean Juliet!" Lia hid her true alarm with sarcasm, though he wouldn't have known the difference anyway.

"But of course!" Sirius exclaimed as Lia dropped him onto his bed. "She won't tell me who she is, so she obviously doesn't feel the same way. Don't you agree?"

"Well, I wouldn't say so, no. I mean, maybe she's afraid you won't return her affections," Lia's hands shook as she untied Sirius' shoes.

"She's right now. I would have given a limb for her a month ago, but now there's someone else," Sirius hiccupped and then yawned.

"What?! Sirius, what are you talking about there's someone else?" Lia didn't bother to hide the anxiety in her voice.

"I've fallen for another girl. _She_ is the one. No doubt about it. I don't know how I missed it. She was right in front of me the whole time!"

Lia pulled Sirius' shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor next to his shoes and belt. "Sirius…who is she?" she attempted to sound nonchalant as her heart raced and beat furiously against her chest.

"Oh, don't you know silly! She's another one of old Willy's characters! Isn't that odd?"

"I suppose so. Listen to me Sirius. Don't give up on Juliet, yet. Please," Lia was surprised by the desperate tone of her own voice.

"Why not? It seems she has given up on me. She's silly," Sirius yawned and fell back into his bed. He curled into the fetal position and sighed contentedly.

Lia pulled the blankets over him and sat down next to him on the bed. "Because…if you give up on Juliet, you're giving up on me."

"Hmm?"

"I'm Juliet, Sirius."

"No, you're Ophelia, Lia. Er…that's confusing. Ok…I'm going to sleep now. Sleep sounds good, doesn't it Ophelia? Hehe, that's fun to say. Ophelia, Ophelia, Oooooooooo," the slightly slurred, but still melodious sound of Sirius' voice became a rattling snore as he drifted into lullaby land. Lia pushed his hair off his face and kissed his cheek. She went to her room, got into her pajamas, and snuggled under her covers. She was just drifting off to sleep when it hit her.

Lia popped up in bed and clutched her head. "Oh my God! He's fallen out of love with Halloween me only to fall in love with the real me!" she exclaimed. Lia flopped back onto her pillows and stared at the ceiling, trying to think of the best way to proceed.

It wasn't until she woke up that she realized she had even fallen asleep. Her bedroom door had opened and now someone was walking toward her bed. Apparently he thought she was asleep because he simply climbed into bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you doing?" she whisper-yelled.

"I'm going to make you fall in love with me," Sirius answered in a much calmer whisper. He whispered, "Goodnight Ophelia," before drifting back to sleep.

"Goodnight Sirius," she sighed and fell back asleep.

**A/N: **Ok, I hope that wasn't too quick and that everyone enjoys. I hope it's at least slightly funny except for the whole suicide bit. Well, bonne lecture!


	10. Chapter 10

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary: **I hope you know it by now.

**Disclaimer: **Lia's mine. That's it really, besides the plot and such. JK Rowling has laid claim to the rest of them.

**Author's Note:** Ok finals are over, so now the writing can begin. This chapter will have some background info about Lia's mom, as requested by Supahcoo4LYFE. Hope everyone enjoys.

Chapter 10

Go With the Flow

The next few weeks passed without incident. It seemed as if the group of friends had worn out their insane luck for crazy events over the holidays. While the Marauders continued with their usual string of pranks and mischief, their respective female companions were absorbed in analyzing all that had happened over break, in comforting Lia in her grief and confusion, and in studying for their NEWTs in the spring.

Sirius had made no attempt to win Lia's heart since their New Year's sleepover. He had been gone from her bed when she awoke the next morning and had hardly spoken to her the rest of the day. She could only attribute his odd behavior to two possibilities: that he remembered what he had said and was afraid to act on it or address her because of it or that he could not remember what had brought him to her bed and was embarrassed and confused.

For her part, she could not bring herself to talk to him about what he had confessed in his drunkenness. Lia feared that he would deny any feelings that he may feel for her if she confronted him about them. So they continued for the rest of the vacation to avoid one another as much as possible.

The group's return to Hogwarts included the return of the natural, friendly companionship between Lia and Sirius. The two friends became seemingly inseparable, starting many new rumors of romance between the two and innumerable cases of jealousy amongst the Sirius Black Fan Club members. The friends enjoyed snow ball fights and fireside games of "Have You Ever?"–a game of confessions–afterwards. It was always enjoyable to exert themselves outside and then to relax and warm up by the warm fire in the Gryffindor Common room, with everyone's jealous eyes continually staring or glancing at the happy group.

---

After just such an evening of happy activities, Lia and Sirius were left alone in the Common Room. The friends had stayed up quite later than every other Gryffindor, Lia and Sirius were the last of the group to depart for bed. They stayed together in the common room, continuing the conversation that had at one point included all of their friends. Now they were left to reminisce about the "old days" alone. The two friends laughed over past pranks and curious incidents, which they had never been officially connected with, for many hours, and were only awakened to the late hour by the chiming of a clock on the opposite wall of the room.

"Oh dear," muttered Lia, "Is it really so late? I lost track of the time. It's entirely your fault you know." Lia stood and stretched, turning away from Sirius to hide her grin.

"My fault? You were the one who kept jabbering on about my brilliant pranks," Sirius fired back.

"I never said they were brilliant," Lia continued to stretch, but flashed a cruelly playful smirk over her shoulder at her friend. A low, entirely non-intimidating growl rose from somewhere deep in Sirius' chest. Lia ignored his attempt to scare her and exaggerated a yawn. She was expecting the attack, but shrieked just the same when Sirius' strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the floor. He cradled her in his arms and spun around several times. Despite her dizziness, Lia remembered that it was late at night, or rather early in the morning, and refrained from screaming.

Satisfied that he had made her regret insulting his genius, Sirius returned Lia's feet the floor and even supported her while she regained her balance. After a moment's hesitation, Lia proceeded in smacking Sirius' chest, which led to his bark-like laugh filling the common room. Lia shhh-ed him and went around the room turning out the lamps that were still on. She returned to the circle of couches and armchairs in front of the fireplace where Sirius was waiting for her. He was smiling in a sort of off-in-another-world-way, which made her grin and snap her fingers in front of his face when she reached him.

He shook his head and his smile grew when he realized what she had been doing. Lia ruffled his hair, then patted his head, and finally wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm hug. Sirius pulled her close, surprising Lia in a pleasant way. She rested her head on his shoulder, and Sirius took this opportunity to rest his chin atop her head. After an immeasurable amount of time, the two stepped away from each other. Lia regained her voice first and wished Sirius sweet dreams before heading towards the girls' stairs.

Sirius struggled for a moment, trying to decide if now was the right time to say something, before calling out to Lia, "I meant what I said you know."

Lia paused on the first step and turned to face him before asking, "What do you mean?"

"What I said on New Year's Eve, about Juliet. I meant it," he explained as he approached the stairs.

"Oh, refresh my memory. What did you say that night in your drunken state of confession?" Lia replied with an amused air.

"I've given up on her ever revealing herself to me. I figured it out. If it was meant to be we would have told each other who we were Halloween night. I'm over it now," he concluded as he reached the stairs and leaned against the archway.

"Well, that's quite a resolution, Sirius. I hope you gave it a lot of thought."

"I did."

"Oh, well…good."

"Really? Oh, I thought you might be mad. I couldn't remember your reaction from New Year's," he chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Well, good night then."

"Good night, Sirius." Lia watched him walk to the stairs, and spoke again only when he was out of sight. "I meant what I said, too." Never in a million years would she have said this if she had known that a certain young man had paused up the stairs, waiting to hear a confirmation of the fuzzy memory of a confession that had sparked hope in his romantic heart.

She undressed and fell into bed, climbing under the covers as quickly as possible to escape the freezing air of the dorm room. Lia stared up at the scarlet canopy above her, contemplating the events of tonight and New Year's. She drifted to sleep at some point, no doubt thinking once again of how close she had come to simply wrapping her arms around Sirius' neck, confessing her true feelings, and kissing him as she had longed to for so long.

---

Sirius gasped as he woke from a nightmare. He grasped at the edges of it for a moment before it drifted away, and he could no longer remember what had frightened him from his sleep. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He held his head in his hands as he caught his breath, his heart still beating too quickly. A sudden desire to see Lia forced him from his bed. He pulled on a sweatshirt, slipped on his moccasins and headed down to the common room.

Sirius had expected to have to bypass the girls' dorms' security system, and was shocked to find the reason for his escapade lying on the couch in front of the dimly glowing fire. He moved slowly and quietly around the couch, where he knelt on the carpet in front of her. The dim light was enough to highlight tears laying gracefully on her lashes and the trails they had left on the smooth, dark apples of her cheeks. A pained sigh escaped Sirius' lips as he gently wiped a falling tear from her face.

Lia's eyes fluttered open at his touch. The bright blue of her orbs was full of fear and pain as she quickly searched for what had disturbed her sleep. As her gaze fell on Sirius, she sighed and closed her eyes, a choked sob shaking her body. Sirius moved to the couch, shifting Lia so that he could lie next to her. He wrapped his arms around her but kept quiet and waited for her to speak, hoping that she would explain so that he could help if it was possible.

Moments passed, possibly minutes, even hours, before Sirius felt the tension keeping Lia together being released in a deep sigh. Ignoring the awkwardness of their position on the too small couch, Lia turned her slight frame so that she faced Sirius. She rested her arms on his chest, and moved as close to him as was possible. Time seemed endless as Sirius waited for her to confide in him.

"I—" her voice broke the silence suddenly, surprising them both. Sirius waited, and surely enough, Lia began again. Her voice was quiet, but steady with the knowledge that she could trust the man whose arms held her with such care and strength.

"It was happening all over again. And even though I knew what was happening, I still couldn't do anything. I just watched, crouched on the landing above them. I saw her so clearly. The way her hair fell around her face and her eyes met mine again. I still couldn't move. I fought it. I just couldn't. I didn't understand why. I still don't. She was so much more powerful than him. She could have stopped him. I believe she could have, but he would have died. She wasn't a killer, so she was killed. Is that the lesson I was supposed to learn?" Lia's voice finally broke in a sob.

Sirius tenderly held her close to him as she cried. He had no words that would comfort her. He had learned after five years, that the only way to help was to simply hold her. That was what she missed, what she craved, was the arms of someone who loved her holding her like they would never let go.

He could count the times she had broken down on one hand, but each time it got a little worse. She hadn't cried at the funeral. She had held in her tears at the trial, where she had to testify. It wasn't until months after her father was in jail and her mother was buried in the plot next to Lia's grandparents that Lia finally showed any sign of pain or grief. Both she and Sirius had been staying at the Potters' for the Christmas holidays since they were twelve. It was that first year when Lia first broke down, and she found solace in Sirius' arms.

Sirius returned to the present as Lia raised her eyes to his. They were red with tears, but the calm blue was bright with a waiting smile. Sirius slowly moved his hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face. He tucked the curl behind her ear before cupping her chin in his hand and tilting her face toward his.

Lia's eyes flickered closed as Sirius brought his face closer to hers. His lips lightly brushed across her tear-stained cheeks, her weary eyes, and her slightly furrowed brow before meeting her lips in a tender but firm kiss. Two hearts leapt at the sudden electric shock that ran through their bodies.

Sirius pulled back to gauge Lia's reaction. A small smile crossed his eager lips as he took in her surprised but joyful expression. She had barely registered that his lips had left hers before they had returned. The kiss deepened, its passion burned in their souls; finally, they were being truthful about how they felt. The words were murmured several times by each between fervent kisses.

---

The sun was well over the horizon by the time Lia and Sirius found sleep still wrapped in each others' arms. Mid-morning passed before any of their friends entered the common room and the sight that met them was completely surprising, but somehow expected and familiar.

When the couple awoke, the first thing they saw was each other, but the first thing they heard was a ridiculously loud round of applause and cheers. They focused their gazes on their friends, each clapping and yelling or whistling or whooping their approval. A furious blush colored both lovers' cheeks, but bright smiles filled with happiness overtook their embarrassment.

Several minutes passed this way. When one wave of cheers began to die someone would start another one. Lia and Sirius finally sat up, still holding tightly to each other, which started yet another round of applause. At some point James demanded a kiss, for proof he said.

"My dear Prongs, you will get no where in this life without a little faith," Sirius replied. A series of boos erupted from his friends at this reply. Lia's laugh drowned out the boos. She met his shocked gaze with a look that said nothing less than "I dare you." Sirius smiled and pulled her to him, kissing her with much more drama, but no less sincerity.

**A/N:** Oh my goodness. I had no idea that this was going to be the end, but I don't suppose I have anywhere else to go from here. Gee. That was abrupt, yes? But all the secrets are out and such and they are together. What more could you ask for?


	11. Chapter 11

**I Should've Been After You**

**Summary: **I hope you know it by now.

**Disclaimer: **Lia's mine. That's it really, besides the plot and such. JK Rowling has laid claim to the rest of them.

**Author's Note:** Here is a little something to really conclude the story. The ending snuck up on me and I'm sure it did the same to you…Sneaky ending.

Epilogue

I Know You Feel It Too

Lia breathed deeply as she broke through her unconsciousness. While her dreams had been pleasant, there was no escaping what day it was. Every Saturday she did the same thing. It was routine. It was safe unlike so much of her life.

She rolled out of bed, shook the covers out and made her bed. The pale grey of the coverlet contrasted with the vibrant purple and green of the sheets, making her smile. Lia continued to the next part of her routine, a shower. The warm water relaxed the muscles of her neck and lower back. The scent of her soap made her heart ache and tears fill her eyes. It smelled like him. When she had finished her shower, Lia brushed her teeth and dried her hair, taming her layered tresses into gentle waves falling down to the small of her back.

Upon re-entering her bedroom, Lia closed the windows which she left open every Friday night. She gathered her clothes for the day and got dressed. The timer on the coffee pot beeped loudly as she pulled on her black suede boots over her dark blue jeans. She grabbed her purse and an old, worn out leather jacket from her desk as she left her bedroom.

The kitchen was filled with the coffee's tantalizing aroma. Lia was careful not to spill her favorite morning companion on her favorite and oldest graphic tee. She grabbed a muffin from the basket on the counter, pulled on her jacket, formerly his like the tee shirt, and left her third floor flat.

---

The walk through town was always enjoyable for Lia, who had become secluded in the last few months. That fateful letter had brought an end to her happiness. Her life had basically fallen apart when she had learned the news. She had never imagined it would really happen. It had been a possibility for several years, but it hadn't been worth worrying about because there were so many other things to worry about.

Lia smiled amiably at mothers chasing their children through the park. While she had never had children of her own, she had always appreciated and admired such a strong connection between two people. She exited the park and two blocks west her destination waited.

She pushed the gate open and let it close behind her. A deep breath filled her lungs with fresh air and the scent of flowers flooded her senses. He was less than twenty feet away now and she could hardly contain herself. She walked quickly to meet him and sat down beside him.

"Hello, love," she whispered tenderly as she slowly ran her fingers over the grass between them. There was no reply. Lia laid back, folding her arms behind her head. The sky was bright and full of squishy-looking cumulus clouds.

The other people in the park hardly noticed the relatively young woman lying on her back in the grass staring at the sky. They were too wrapped up in their own routines. Lia closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back to the last time she had seen him…

---

"_You look horrible," she commented, a laugh ready to burst from her chest._

"_Gee thanks. I was hoping for a little positive feedback," he had replied as his arms had wrapped around her waist._

"_Well, who cut your hair? Remus? The boy never did have a steady hand."_

_His smile was happy, but nowhere near as bright and self-assured as it had once been. Twelve years had passed since she had seen him, held him, spoken to him. He had left that night after explaining what had happened and what he had to do. She had let him leave and had regretted it ever since. Now he had come back to her. He wouldn't promise never to leave, because a wanted man cannot stay in one place for long, but she didn't mind._

_The next week had passed in utter bliss. The two lovers had stayed in her apartment, ordering in, watching movies, and just being together. When the time came for him to leave there were few tears and those that were shed were quietly brushed away with soft kisses and whispered oaths of devotion._

---

A nearby church's bells exclaimed the late hour. Lia returned from her daydream, sighed deeply and sat up. She stood slowly and brushed the grass from her back.

"I'll see you next week," she promised as she crouched down in front of the large slab of granite. Her long fingers traced the letters of his name, the date of his death, and the inscription beneath them –

"Now are the ears of my ears awake and

now are the eyes of my eyes opened."

Lia kissed her hand and placed it on the stone. She stood and walked back to her house.

A/N: Ok, so it was sadder than I expected, but I had to explain what had happened to her after his death. So this is the real end. I hope it was satisfying and enjoyable. Look for more stories from me because I am going to keep writing. I hope you will keep reading. Thank you.


End file.
